. Players and plays of the last quarter century; an historical summary of causes and a critical review of conditions as existing in the American theatre at the close of the nineteenth century. embar-rassed by the scarcity of original plays, tocover which it has resorted to the dramatisa-tion of novels and the making of stars ofplayers hardly worthy of the honour. Oneprominent reason for the scarcity of playsarises from the circumstance that the Syndi-cate will not experiment with dramas that donot promise a certain success. Aside from themyriad offerings of Clyde Fitch, and of playswritten on
. Players and plays of the last quarter century; an historical summary of causes and a critical review of conditions as existing in the American theatre at the close of the nineteenth century. embar-rassed by the scarcity of original plays, tocover which it has resorted to the dramatisa-tion of novels and the making of stars ofplayers hardly worthy of the honour. Oneprominent reason for the scarcity of playsarises from the circumstance that the Syndi-cate will not experiment with dramas that donot promise a certain success. Aside from themyriad offerings of Clyde Fitch, and of playswritten on contract by a few others, the workof the American dramatist is not and French dramas that have sue-ceeded abroad are given the preference on theground that they are safer investments, andthat in producing them there is avoided theresponsibility of backing ones own art judg-ment. Nor are any foreign plays tried, unlesstheir money value is evident and it has happened that, although thepoetical dramas of Stephen Phillips have beenattracting more attention in London duringthe last few seasons than the works of anyother English dramatist, not one of these. MAUDE ADAMSAs the Duke of Reichstadt in LAiglon. Causes in the American Theatre 215 plays has been given an American financial success in this country isregarded as doubtful. The same thing is trueas regards the serious plays of the Continentaldramatists, only four of which have receivedregular productions in recent seasons, — HenriLavedans Catherine, produced by CharlesFrohman for Annie Russell; Gerhart Haupt-manns Die Versunkene Glocke, into theproduction of which E. H. Sothern put hisown money; Edmond Rostands Cyrano deBergerac, brought out by Richard Mansfieldon his own responsibility; and Rostands LAiglon, acted by Maude Adams underthe auspices of Charles Frohman, after SarahBernhardt had made her impersonation of theEaglet a Parisian sensation. Looking uponthe theatre as
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Keywords: ., bookauthorstrangle, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookyear1903
